Study Planning Advice: Daily Q&A | Why Implement a Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Initiative?

  BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) — The “Suggestions of the CPC Central Committee on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development” propose: “Implement a comprehensive action plan for the management of solid waste.” This represents a major strategic decision by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core to address the issue of environmental pollution caused by solid waste. Comprehensive management of solid waste not only effectively alleviates the pressure of such pollution but also promotes resource conservation and recycling, thereby easing the strain of resource scarcity; it is a landmark initiative in advancing ecological civilization.

  First, implementing a comprehensive solid-waste management initiative is a crucial measure to safeguard public health. China generates more than 11 billion tons of solid waste annually. A substantial portion of this waste—ranging from industrial and agricultural residues to discarded electrical and electronic equipment, municipal solid waste, medical waste, and hazardous waste—remains inadequately managed, posing risks of soil, groundwater, and air contamination. Through pathways such as contaminated crops or the food chain, it can directly threaten human health. Heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury contained in discarded electrical and electronic products, once ingested, can cause chronic poisoning. Plastic waste, after persisting in the environment for extended periods, breaks down into microplastics; their accumulation in the human body can severely compromise health. It is imperative to adopt integrated approaches to solid-waste management, achieve harmlessness, and sever the invisible threats to human health.

  Second, implementing a comprehensive solid-waste management initiative is an essential requirement for accelerating the economy and society’s all‑round green transformation. In China, the comprehensive utilization rate of industrial solid waste stands at around 60%, while the utilization rate of construction waste is only about 40%. In terms of existing stock, inadequate and insufficient resource recovery and recycling have resulted in a cumulative national accumulation of over 33 billion tons of industrial solid waste, occupying more than 3,500 square kilometers. As for new inputs, by the end of June 2025, China had 36.89 million new‑energy vehicles, approximately 380 million electric bicycles, 1.1 billion kilowatts of installed photovoltaic capacity, and 570 million kilowatts of installed wind power capacity. The pressure to effectively recycle and utilize the “new three” categories of solid waste—retired power batteries, photovoltaic modules, and wind turbine blades—is steadily increasing. It is imperative to adopt integrated approaches to solid‑waste management, achieving waste reduction and resource recovery, thereby supporting the greening and decarbonization of economic and social development.

  Third, implementing a comprehensive action plan for solid waste management is an urgent necessity for firmly safeguarding the ecological and environmental safety baseline. Solid waste poses multifaceted ecological and environmental risks: illegal stockpiling and dumping that encroach upon habitats can directly harm biodiversity and constitute a major source of soil and groundwater contamination. In recent years, although the trend of illegal dumping has been effectively curbed, unlawful practices such as the illicit disposal of construction waste, industrial solid waste, and hazardous waste persist, and environmental risks associated with storage and disposal facilities—such as tailings ponds, phosphogypsum stacks, and municipal solid waste landfills—remain particularly acute. Preventing and controlling solid waste pollution is integral to both reducing pollution and cutting carbon emissions, while also underpinning environmental safety. It is imperative to adopt a holistic approach to solid waste management, eliminate latent environmental risks, and ensure the security of our ecological environment.

  To fundamentally address environmental pollution caused by solid waste, we should follow the overarching approach of “reducing existing stock, controlling new inputs, addressing hidden risks, preventing hazards, ensuring smooth disposal and utilization, promoting circularity, strengthening regulation, and providing robust support.” Adhering to the technological pathway of waste reduction, resource recovery, and harmlessness, we must advance the circular use of waste while synergistically enhancing pollution control and carbon reduction, thereby effectively safeguarding ecological and environmental risks. First, promote source‑level reduction and comprehensive utilization. Strengthen full‑chain management of solid waste—covering generation, transportation, and treatment—and actively explore large‑scale applications and environmental standards for coal gangue, fly ash, phosphogypsum, and other materials. Second, identify and rectify environmental risk factors. Conduct thorough inspections and remediation of tailings ponds and large‑scale solid‑waste storage sites, implementing integrated measures to address ecological and environmental risks. Third, establish and improve inter‑regional collaborative regulatory mechanisms. Enhance information‑based, visualized tracking and retrospective oversight throughout the entire hazardous‑waste management process, effectively preventing illegal transboundary transfers and dumping. Fourth, pay close attention to the comprehensive management of emerging types of solid waste. Advance the recycling and reuse of retired power batteries, photovoltaic modules, wind turbine blades, and other novel waste streams, and build a number of demonstration bases for the comprehensive resource utilization of solid waste. Fifth, hold all stakeholders accountable. Develop a “Zero‑Waste Index” that reflects the performance of various forms of solid‑waste circulation and integrated management, implement target‑based accountability assessments, and further strengthen the responsibilities of local governments, producers, and other relevant parties, fostering a concerted effort across society to tackle these challenges.

[Editor-in-charge: Shi Ge]

Source: Xinhua Net